Max von Gallwitz was born in 1852. He was a General of the Artillery during WWI. At the beginning of the war, he commanded an independent cavalry corps on Germany's right flank on the Western Front. Later, he commanded the XII. Army (1915). He was awarded the Pour le Merite (Blue Max), Germany's highest honour, in 1915 for his excellent efforts against the invading Russian forces in Galicia.

GdA Gallwitz then took control of the XI. Army (1915-16) from General August von Mackensen, who had finished a hard but successful offensive to drive the Russians from Galicia. Gallwitz's forces were arrayed south of the Pinsk marshes. After this, he led Army Group Gallwitz at the Somme during the summer of 1916. Gallwitz also commanded the II. Army (1916), and the V. Army (1916 to 1918) when he led countered the American advance into the St. Mihiel salient. Finally, he was given charge of Army Group Gallwitz at Verdun in late 1918.

By the end of October 1918, Gallwitz was set against any sort of armistice, believing it was both shameful and the end of Germany. He was preparing a national defense network in the event of collapse on the Western Front, but the revolution and the armistice preempted his plans. From 1920 through 1924, retired General Gallwitz was a deputy for the German National People's Party in the Reichstag in Berlin. Max von Gallwitz died in Breslau, in 1937.

The Prussian artillery expert Gallwitz was given a Corps consisting entirely of Austrian troops, at the request of GdK Böhm-Ermolli, who was a great believer in mixing German officers with Austrian troops (according to Gen. Max Hoffmann). After a short period in Poland helping defend the Tomaszów sector, Gallwitz Corps was entrained and moved to the Carpathians along with the entire 2. Army within a week's time. [rev. 4/04]

Orders of Battle: Serbian Front, October 1915Amidst the Quadruple Alliance's invasion of Serbia in October 1915Mackensen Army, FM August MackensenDeutsch 11. Armee, Gen. d. Art. Gallwitz III. Korps, Gen. d. Inf. von Lochow 6. inf. div., Genmj. Herhudt von Rohden 25. res. inf. div., Genmj. von Jarotzky IV. Korps, Genlt. von Winckler 11. Bayerisch inf. div., Genlt. von Kneußl 105. inf. div., Genmj. von der Esch 107. inf. reg., Genmj. von Moser X. res. Korps, Genlt. Kosch 101. inf. div., Genlt. von Kräwel 103. inf. div., Genlt. von Estorff K.u.K. Group Füllöp, Feldmlt. FüllöpThe 11. Army formed the vanguard of the invasion of Serbia on 1 October 1915. Starting with a night-time amphibious assault on the Isle of Ram in the Danube river, the offensive was followed by a massive bombardment by long-range artillery situated in Hungary. A prefabricated pontoon bridge of nearly three miles in length was put into place across the river by thousands of soldiers within hours, and by the sundown on 1 October, the Morava valley was open to 180,000 invading Germans and Austrians, all of which made the crossing at Ram and another bridge near Semlin within four days. The build-up of such a massive force alone alerted the Entente to the invasion, and by 6 October, British and French troops had already begun their march north from Salonika.